Seed by Seed: The Legend and Legacy of John "Appleseed" Chapman

by Esmé Raji Codell, Lynne Rae Perkins (Illustrator)

Overview

With one small seed every day, what good will you plant in the world? Johnny Appleseed—an American folk hero—changed our nation seed by seed, deed by deed, and now the acclaimed Esmé Raji Codell and award-winning Lynne Rae Perkins celebrate his legendary life.

This beautiful biographical picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, and includes suggestions for celebrating John Chapman’s birthday (September 26), apple craft ideas, and a recipe.

Why should we remember Johnny Appleseed today—more than two hundred years after he was born—and call him a hero? Why are the life and lessons of John Appleseed relevant to kids now? This extraordinary picture book from educator, librarian, and best-selling author Esme Raji Codell and award-winning illustrator Lynne Rae Perkins answers these questions and more—and challenges readers to follow the five footsteps John Chapman left behind:

1. Use what you have

2. Share what you have

3. Respect nature

4. Try to make peace where there is war

5. You can reach your destination by taking small steps

An insightful and friendly text, stunning mixed-media illustrations that combine wood, paper, paint, and fabric, and a winning mixture of information and inspiration make for a stellar picture book for all ages. Sure to be a classroom and seasonal favorite. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061455179
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/21/2026
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Esmé Raji Codell is a teacher and librarian and the author of many award-winning books for children. She lives with her family in Chicago, Illinois. 

Lynne Rae Perkins was awarded the Newbery Medal for Criss Cross. She is the author of five other novels—All Alone in the Universe, As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth, Nuts to You, Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea, and Violet and Jobie in the Wild. Lynne Rae Perkins has also written and illustrated several acclaimed picture books, including Frank and Lucky Get Schooled, The Broken Cat, Snow Music, Pictures from Our Vacation, The Cardboard Piano, Wintercake, and The Museum of Everything. The author lives with her family in northern Michigan. Visit her online at lynnerae.com.

Editorial Reviews

Lilting text and . . . sumptuous landscapes.” — New York Times Book Review

Praise for The Cardboard Piano: Kirkus Best Book CCBC Choice Horn Book Fanfare “Perkins’s . . . watercolors reveal a range of underlying emotions in everyday moments.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for Pictures from Our Vacation: School Library Journal Best Books “Perkins is exhilaratingly free in her approach to the picture book form.” — Horn Book (starred review)

“Vivacious watercolors . . . [reveal] that the best memories remain resplendent in the imagination.” — School Library Journal

Praise for Snow Music: “Masterful and unique.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

From the Publisher

A friend to Native Americans and pioneers heading West, and to animals large and small, Chapman was a highly personable soul, and Perkins's images are likewise extremely engaging. From the shiny apples on the book jacket to the scenes of Chapman roaming the countryside, the artwork invites readers to settle down and enjoy the view.
—Abby McGanney Nolan

The Washington Post

Codell's lilting text and Perkins's sumptuous landscapes will have urban parents ready to up-and-to-the-country.
—Pamela Paul

The New York Times Book Review

Lilting text and . . . sumptuous landscapes.

New York Times Book Review

Praise for Pictures from Our Vacation: School Library Journal Best Books “Perkins is exhilaratingly free in her approach to the picture book form.

Horn Book (starred review)

A simple introduction to an American legend turns up inspiration for making the world a better place. Frontier nurseryman John Chapman, born in Massachusetts just before the Revolutionary War, had traveled thousands of miles by his death and covered the Ohio River Valley with apple-tree nurseries, showing pioneer families how to start the orchards that would strengthen their attachment to the land. He had already become the legendary "Johnny Appleseed," known for singular habits of dress, kindness to animals, friendship with pioneer and original settlers and a love of books. Saintly stories ("The Native Americans respected him for his spiritual bond with his surroundings, his kinship with all that grew and lived") about Chapman inform this account. Codell says that Johnny Appleseed "left five [footsteps] for us to fill: Use what you have. Share what you have. Respect nature. Try to make peace where there is war. You can reach your destination by taking small steps." Perkins' watercolor, gouache and collage illustration is lively and disarming; a stitched sampler across one full opening offers rolling hills with apple trees in both blossom and fruit, Johnny Appleseed in the distance. Sources and acknowledgments appear on the title-page verso, while a final page offers suggestions for celebrating Johnny Appleseed's September 26 birthday, including a simple apple pie recipe and the graceful Swedenborgian hymn many children will know as "the Johnny Appleseed song." Sweet. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews